SOCIAL MEDIA – THE (FACE)BOOK IS JUDGED BY ITS COVER Age group: 17-19 Keywords: Critical Thinking, Group Work, Employability, Self-marketing, ICT, Networking. Time required: 60 minutes Number of people: 10-30 Equipment: Laptops/computers, internet access. Materials: Pens, paper. Space: Middle-sized to large room. Activity explored and suggested by: Zaklad Doskonalenia Zawodowego w Kielcach - Poland.
Aim of the method: To promote critical thinking, to increase responsibility regarding social media presence, to improve participant’ self-marketing skills and employability, to inspire them to take advantage of social media while job searching, and to raise awareness of the consequences of the way they present themselves in social media. Preparation: The room should be arranged in such a way as to ensure effective teamwork, i.e., the tables should be pushed together or taken out of the room altogether if the participants feel more comfortable working on the floor. The tables’ arrangement should enable the facilitator to move freely among the groups and offer individual help whenever it's needed. It's important to support both participant interaction and participant-facilitator communication. The facilitator should prepare job adverts (preferably real ones, which can be print outs from an online platform or newspaper cut-outs) and a bunch of mock CVs, as well as the social media materials – pictures and fake online posts – each with content that could deter a potential employer. Needless to say, the content has to be age appropriate at the same time. Also, a print out of the apple in front of a mirror (below) will be needed (preferably a bigger format).
DESCRIPTION INTRO The facilitator welcomes the group and asks the participants about the social media they use. Specifically, he or she asks about the number of social media platforms they use, the number of social media friends/ followers, the type of information they put up, etc.. CREATING COMFORT The facilitator starts by presenting the group with an image of an apple in front of a mirror to spur a discussion on the fakeness of life in social media. He or she initiates a group discussion by asking questions about the relation between the picture and how social media works. The participants talk about how people show images of idealized selves and the reality they live in. Then he or she reverses the question and asks whether the opposite is
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